Chapter 11: Betrayal
Bo knew he was caught, but that didn't stop him from trying anyhow. He'd hardly raised himself on his good right arm, though, when one of the men hupped to his dogs, and both bloodhounds snarled at Bo with menacing growls. He froze – their teeth were a bit too close to his throat for comfort. Then he was surrounded by men on all sides, and he knew he was really done for.
"You three, get him inside and lock him up. The rest of you, get after the other two – they were out there, I'm sure of it," the man standing over Bo ordered. Brown, Bo thought. He hoped Henry had the sense to be long gone by now.
The dogs were pulled back, and two men roughly hauled him to his feet. Bo stifled a cry of pain as one shoved him forward, pushing on his left shoulder. He looked and saw a large lump under his skin just below his collarbone, and his whole arm hung uselessly at an awkward angle. His three gun-carrying guards marched him off the road, into the empty sheriff's department, and down the stairs.
"Oh Bo!" Daisy cried out when she saw him. She had heard the explosions outside, and hoped he'd gotten away. She could see the pain and failure in his face.
He was roughly shoved into the cell with Cooter, and the door was locked behind him. "Three down, two to go," one of the men remarked with a chuckle to his buddies as they walked up the stairs. When they were gone, Bo sank down against the wall behind Cooter, who sat up and leaned against the bars dividing the cells. The mechanic couldn't speak without pain, but he looked on with a bruised brow furrowed with concern.
"Are you hurt? What happened?" Daisy asked, joining him at the wall. Bo hissed as she touched his shoulder through the bars.
"The danged horse threw me," Bo explained crossly, though he was irritated with himself and the horse, not Daisy. He tried to feel for broken bone in his arm, but only caused more pain.
Daisy and Cooter helped him ease out of his coat and long-sleeved shirt, but he cried out when they tried to work his t-shirt off. Instead, Daisy lifted his sleeve and collar to inspect the injury, gently feeling around the joint.
"I think it's just dislocated," she finally declared. That odd lump was the rounded end of his upper arm bone. "Scoot over a little closer, I can fix it."
"What? No!" He shied away from her reach.
Daisy sighed. "Bo, it's not gonna stop hurting unless we get it back in place. I helped Uncle Jesse set Luke's shoulder when he fell out of the hayloft, remember? It's easy."
"But that was nine years ago!"
Cooter added his two cents with a light slap to his friend's other arm and an exasperated look.
Finally Bo gave in. He trusted his cousin, after all, and it couldn't hurt much worse, could it? Following her instructions, he leaned his back against the bars and let Cooter take hold of his arm. He could feel the ugly grinding sensation of bone against collarbone as Daisy lifted his upper arm out straight, level with his shoulder line, and let his forearm and hand hang down. Slowly, she rotated his forearm upwards, up and up until his hand pointed straight up and a little bit further back. With an easy motion the bone slid back into place, with a crunch and a pop. Daisy gently let his arm down, and Bo sagged with relief, blood flow and sensation returning to his arm.
"Thanks, Daisy," he sighed as he felt around the sore joint with his good hand – back to normal.
"No problem, cuz," Daisy replied, patting his back through the bars. "Anything else hurt?"
"No, just my pride," Bo admitted sullenly, scooting back to the more comfortable wall.
Cooter started to join him, but then thought better of it, and laid down on the cot against the other wall – his jaw hurt somethin' fierce, and sitting upright was making him dizzy. He laid one arm across his forehead and one good eye with a groan.
"You okay there, Cooter?" Bo asked. His friend waved him off with his other hand. Bo turned back to Daisy, who asked:
"What's happened out there? How's…" she lowered her voice to a hushed whisper, "How's Luke? Where's Uncle Jesse? They told us they trailed you to the caves, but you were gone by the time they got there. Are Luke an' Jesse safe? Were they with you just now?"
Bo held up a hand to slow her questions, and spoke in the same hushed tone. "Daisy, we're gonna be in here all night at least, we've got plenty of time to talk. Yes, Uncle Jesse and Luke are alright – at least, as alright as they're gonna be for now. Cooter already told you what I told him, right?" Daisy nodded. "That was most of it. After I left Jackson's Hollow…"
Quietly, Bo told Daisy every detail, and paused to let her ask questions every so often. At first Cooter strained to listen from just a few feet away, but eventually he gave up – Bo would fill him in on the important stuff – and he drifted off to sleep, snoring none too softly. Bo stopped long enough to cover his friend with one of the two coarse wool blankets left to the prisoners – Brown's men hadn't bothered to return with food or bedding for Bo. Daisy helped him pull his long-sleeved shirt back on, but he insisted that she take both his coat and the second blanket – she was still wearing her rather skimpy waitressing outfit, and the cells were cold, with the chill air that came in through the window. Then, back at the wall and close to the dividing bars, Bo finished his side of the story, leaving out only the details of the plan he'd discussed with Carter.
"Poor Luke…Uncle Jesse was sure he'll be alright?" Daisy asked. Bo nodded confirmation, and she was satisfied, though still worried – if Uncle Jesse was sure, she'd trust it. "So…I don't suppose getting captured was part of that plan?"
Bo shook his head. "No, I can't say that it was. Now, what's happened here? What have you seen of these fellas? Maybe we can figure something out…"
Then it was Daisy's turn, though she didn't have much to tell – her arrest, Cooter's visit and attempt to break her out, Brown's interrogation, and his retribution against Cooter. They hadn't touched Daisy, whether because they thought she was too fragile, or they remembered her arrest too well, and Bo was glad of that at least.
"…That's pretty much it, until you showed up," Daisy finished. "How's that shoulder now?" They'd easily been talking and questioning each other for two hours. It had been late to begin with, and it was getting even later.
"It's alright, just sore," he said, prodding the tender joint and muscle. "I think I'll live, Doc."
Daisy smiled at her cousin's attempt at humor. "Well, we should probably get some sleep. Are you sure you'll be warm enough?" She stood, offering him the coat. He waved it off.
"I'm fine. Goodnight, Daisy."
"Goodnight, Bo." Daisy settled herself onto her cot, wrapped in Bo's coat and covered by the blanket. She lay awake for a long time, staring at the ceiling and thinking on the latest turn of events. Eventually she too drifted off to sleep.
Bo, on the other hand, was wide awake. He sat in the same spot, one leg stretched out, his right arm propped lazily on his knee. He'd put himself on guard duty, watching over his cousin and his friend, and listening to every sound and footstep that met his ears. Bo was hoping to hear some news of Henry, but all he heard was the voices and movements of the men left behind on guard, bored and gambling at some game upstairs. Eventually the losers in the game quit playing, and it was quiet again but for Cooter's snores and Daisy's soft breathing.
Some time later, Bo had taken to pacing the small cell to stay awake and to keep himself warm. He was on his 46th round of the cell when he heard the front door open upstairs, and the click of canine toenails in the hardwood floor, followed by heavy footsteps.
"Any luck?" one voice asked, as the toenails and footsteps led across the floor to the upstairs holding cell. One dog barked 'find' when he picked up Bo's scent.
"Shuttup, Spade!" a second voice snarled. "No, we lost 'em. They're on horseback now. I doubt we'll find them."
"Don't let Brown hear you say that," another voice warned.
"Don't worry," the first man said confidently, "In the morning, we'll make that blond one sing. We'll get the other two, and when they're all fish food, we'll get paid, just like always."
"Well sweet dreams until then," the dog handler sneered. With a few more idle comments, the returning hunters dispersed, and the department was quiet again.
Bo had heard all he needed to hear. He curled back up in his corner between the wall and the bars, holding his knees close for warmth, and was soon sound asleep. Morning would come soon enough.
Somehow, Bo doesn't look very worried for a man who's just heard what he's heard. Y'all think that's just his charming looks, or maybe something more?
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Morning did come all too soon. Bo, Daisy, and Cooter were all woken by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. Bo and Daisy looked on apprehensively, while Cooter just moaned where he lay. His jaw and cheek his swollen badly overnight, and he was just miserable. Bo got to his feet, stiff and sore himself – especially that shoulder – and stood at the cell door, between the approaching footsteps and his friend. To Bo's surprise, it was Enos coming down the steps – flanked by a handful of Brown's men – carrying a tray of breakfast for three.
"Now Bo, you gotta promise not to jump out at me when I open the door," Enos told him, and waited until Bo promised before unclipping his keys from his belt.
"Enos, man, am I glad to see you!" Bo exclaimed, looking nervously at the men behind the deputy. "We need your help! I swear, Enos, it wasn't us – I don't know who these guys are, but…but… look at what they did to Cooter!" Bo rambled on desperately as Enos handed him two of the plates, trying very hard not to look Bo in the eye. He saw Enos steal a glance over at the mechanic while he closed the door to Bo's cell and opened Daisy's. "Enos, they broke his jaw!"
"Bo, I'm sorry," Enos said softly. "But this is the FBI, and y'all are wanted for murder. I cain't do anything." Red-faced, he handed Daisy her plate and shut her cell door, locking it again.
"Would you at least go get Rosco?" Bo pleaded. If there was even a slight chance, he had to ask.
Enos sighed. "Alright, Bo. I'll be right back."
True to his word, Enos was back down the stairs in not ten minutes, followed by a very annoyed Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane.
"So they finally caught you, huh, Bo Duke!" Rosco smirked, delighted. "You want to plead guilty now and save the judge some work?"
"Rosco, I ain't guilty and you know it," Bo retorted. "An' I don't know who these guys are you're working with, but they aren't FBI!"
"Oh they're not, huh? Khew khew! You got any proof?"
"Well look at Cooter! They beat him up last night after you left, busted his jaw! What kind of FBI agents would do that?"
Rosco stepped closer to the cell and looked in on the mechanic, who looked back through his one good eye and waved. For a moment, Bo thought the Hazzard sheriff was actually taking him seriously. Then he spoke, looking at Bo in disbelief. "Bo, I do not believe it! You lyin' murderin' dog of a Duke! You beat up your own best friend! First those girls, and now Cooter…oh you'll be locked up, you'll be locked up for the rest of your natural life, you can bet on it buster…"
Bo threw his hands in the air and sighed an exasperated sigh, interrupting the sheriff as he rambled on. "Rosco, would you at least get him to a doctor?"
"Don't you tell me what to do, Bo Duke! I'll have you know that I'm…I'm…"
"Required by law to provide medical help to injured prisoners," Daisy finished for him. That shut Rosco up, and before he could come up with a response, one of the men behind him stepped forward.
"Sheriff Coltrane, we'll see to it that Mr. Davenport is taken care of. I believe Agent Brown is waiting for you upstairs, to go over a map of the terrain where we lost the trail last night."
"See there, Bo?" Rosco gestured towards the man who'd spoken. "These FBI agents are gonna take care of him while I, while I go help them track down that murderin' cousin and uncle of yours! Enos! Get upstairs, you dipstick, and make yourself useful! Go take Flash on a walk or somethin'!" he ordered before Bo could get in another word. Then sheriff and deputy filed up the stairs, though Enos gave Bo a long, pained look before he left. The speaker among Brown's men glared at Bo before they too filed upstairs.
Left alone again, Bo sat down on the floor next to Cooter. "Sorry, buddy. I tried." Cooter patted his shoulder with forgiveness. "Think you can eat anything?" His friend started to shake his head, but whimpered at the pain and waved his hand instead. Bo and Daisy traded worried looks, but there was nothing to say. Neither of them touched their plates, having no appetite after that conversation.
Bo wondered what Uncle Jesse was doing just then, whether the doctors had taken Luke off that machine, and whether he was doing better and was awake this morning. Thinking about Luke, Bo hardly noticed his own aches, or the headache lingering in the back of his skull that sleep hadn't eliminated. He glanced over at Daisy, and saw she was just as preoccupied with her thoughts. With nothing to do but wait, Bo made himself comfortable against the wall against and sighed. He couldn't believe this was all Daisy'd had to do for the last three days. Bo preferred being chased by the bloodhounds.
Things began to get interesting about an hour later, after Rosco and Enos had left – sent on a wild goose chase down the southern end of the county. No sooner had they driven off than Agent Derek Brown appeared in the stairwell with his thugs, a menacing smile on his features.
"Morning, Mr. Duke. I trust you slept well?" he asked mockingly.
"What do you want, Brown?" Daisy asked.
"Oh, just to have a little chat with your cousin Bo here."
One of the men unlocked the cell, and again Bo boldly stepped forward, placing himself between them and Cooter. They only wanted him, though. Two men grabbed hold of his arms in iron grips, pulling him out and shutting the cell door behind him. While they held him, another man tied his hands behind his back with rough twine. Finished, Bo was shoved into a waiting chair, and Brown stepped forward.
"Where are Lukas and Jesse Duke hiding?"
Bo spit at the 'agent's feet. Brown fetched him a blow to the head that would have knocked him out of the chair, had rough hands not been there to shove him back into place.
"Perhaps I should be more polite. Where are Lukas and Jesse Duke hiding, please?"
After about five minutes, Bo decided he very much didn't like Brown's method of interrogation. After about twenty-five minutes, he was having difficulty hearing the question over the ringing in his ears and the screaming headache in his skull. Between the blood dripping into his eyes and the blood running from his broken nose, he was having a bit of trouble seeing the interrogator as well. It took a few moments for Bo to realize that the pounding had stopped. Brown stepped back, scrutinizing his victim, and motioned to the men holding Bo in place. They let go, and he promptly fell over. Brown waited until he pulled himself up on his hands and knees, and kicked him viciously in the ribs, and he fell back to the floor. Daisy cried his name for the third or fourth time.
"You redneck whelp!" Brown growled. "You'll tell me if I have to take you apart piece by piece!" He glanced at Daisy, his lip curled in a snarl. She was watching helplessly with her hands curled around the cell bars. "Bring the girl out! Maybe you'll tell me if I take her apart piece by piece!"
"No!" Bo cried painfully, on his knees again, as two of the men opened her cell door and grabbed her arms. "Leave Daisy alone!"
"Or else what?" Brown spat.
Bo's voice cracked in a miserable sob. "I'll tell you anything you want! Just don't…don't hurt her."
"Bo! NO!" Daisy cried, struggling against her captors. "They'll kill us anyways!"
Bo shook his head, wavering dizzily. Salty tears stung the cuts on his cheeks. "Then I'd rather see you die quickly, Daisy, instead of being tortured by these monsters."
Daisy was at a loss for words, staring at her younger cousin. She'd never seen him look so broken, so defeated before.
Brown smiled triumphantly. Family could be such a weak spot, easy to target, easy to kill. "Well, boy? I'm waiting."
Bo looked up at his cruel face, and tried wiping his eyes on his sleeve. He couldn't say it. He couldn't say it. "They're…they're on the move," his voice broke, and Brown frowned. Bo saw the frown, and quickly added, "But I can call them…call them and leave a message, or see if they're there…I can have them meet us…at, at, Jackson's Hollow?"
Brown squinted at him for a moment. "I'll pick the location," he decided, and smiled to see Bo slump further. Senior FBI Agent Derek Brown wouldn't be tricked into an ambush. "Get him upstairs to a phone, and get me a map. Don't let anyone see him," he ordered, "and get her back in her cell." Two men hauled Bo to his feet and half-shoved, half-carried him up the stairs. Once Daisy was again locked up, the other men followed, but Brown held one back. "Go over to the switchboard operator and listen in on the line. I want to make sure he doesn't try anything."
Bo was brought into Rosco's private office, and his captors cut his bonds, drawing their handguns in case he tried to escape. He made no move, though, and only sat there staring at the desk in misery, lower lip trembling. Brown looked over a map, and found the perfect location. They could make the kill and dispose of the bodies in one fell swoop. Once his man at the town switchboard was ready, Brown entered Rosco's office and announced his selection.
"Tell them to meet us at Wyle's Lake, at the high cliffs on the southern end."
Bo nodded meekly, and one of his guards picked up the phone and placed it in front of him. He took a deep breath, picked up the receiver, and dialed the number he'd already memorized.
"This is…this is Bo Duke. Could I speak to Jesse Duke, please?" he asked shakily to the female voice who answered.
A moment later, Brown's eavesdropper at the switchboard heard the gruff voice at the other end of the line. "Bo? Are you alright? Where have you been, we've been worried sick!"
"I'm okay, Uncle Jesse. Listen, can you…can you come pick me up? I…I hurt my leg when the horse threw me last night."
"Well of course! Where are you?"
"I'm hiding in town right now, but Cooter's brother B.B. is gonna give me a ride in a little bit. Can you meet us at Wyle's Lake? I don't want him to know where we're staying, in case…in case the feds follow us," Bo finished lamely.
"Alright, I'll go get Luke, and we'll be out there in…two hours, maybe?"
"Alright, Uncle Jesse, we'll see you there. Be careful. I…I love you."
"I love you too, Bo."
Bo cringed as he hung up the phone. "Two hours," he informed Brown hoarsely.
The senior agent slapped him on the shoulder. "That wasn't so hard, was it, boy? Lock him back up," Brown ordered his men. He could taste that $500,000 already.
Well, I'm sure at a loss for words. Can you believe Bo just did what he did? Well, me neither.